this time.” He shrugged nonchalantly, giving me a small smile and I thought what a nice person he seemed to be. “It’s yours now.”
“Thank you,” I replied, surprised. A little flutter of pleasure hit my stomach as I tried to think what on earth he could have kept of my parents. “It was kind of you to keep these things for me.”
Steven nodded and his face creased into a smile. I couldn’t help thinking he suddenly looked much older than when I’d first met him in his bee-like finery. He looked over his shoulder quickly and turned back to me, leaning in, his voice etched with age. “Your parents were good friends of mine. Perhaps one day, when there’s more time, I’ll have the chance to tell you more about them. Keep the box safe.”
As he inclined his head in a rather formal little bow, I caught sight, over his shoulder, of Eleanor looking at our exchange curiously. She quickly turned away and said something to a guest who seemed to be sobbing into a handkerchief, her hand pausing on the woman’s arm.
“Good luck, Stella, until me meet again.” Steven said as he took my hand and kissed it and I rather expected him to click his heels.
“And you,” I said, my voice wobbling a bit. Steven nodded and traversed the hallway, tipping his head to Eleanor and closing the door behind him. From the living room, I heard the heated explosion of voices and Robert’s rising above them to the tune of Eleanor’s heels clicking across the lobby.
“I have to make some calls,” murmured Étoile, who had glided across to me as soon as Steven had taken his leave. Marc was right behind her as she continued, “To make sure they’re expecting us though I imagine Seren has already told them. My sister,” she added for my benefit when I frowned at the name.
“Stella, can you be ready for seven tomorrow morning?” asked Marc.
“Yes, of course.”
“I’ll take Stella to her room,” said Marc as Étoile set off along the hallway and was in her room in a flash, shutting the door before we had taken our first step along the same route.
“Where are we going?” I asked Marc when we reached the door to the guest bedroom serving as mine for this night. “Tomorrow, I mean.”
“We have lots of places around the country but I suspect that we’ll be going to a place we have along the coast. Like my dad said, it’s a safe house, of sorts. Our kind go there to practice, to be taught, to learn.” Marc thought for a moment as if he hadn’t quite made up his mind. “It’s a good place to be.”
“Do I get any say in this at all?” I meant to be a bit more polite, but the words came out in a hiss. I shouldn’t be angry at him, he had looked out for me all evening and I thought I saw a kindred spirit in him, despite the differences in our backgrounds. “This is my life and I got along fine until you all got involved in it.”
“And if the Brotherhood weren’t bent on killing us all, you’d probably still be fine,” replied Marc. “We can’t send you back out there to be picked off by one of them.”
“So, it’s a case of do what you say or die?”
“Not what I say,” Marc emphasised and I wondered if his was quite a lowly role. Certainly Étoile seemed to have been spoken to with more reverence than he, which struck me as odd since he was the prodigal son. “What the council says. Look, Stella, I know it might suck right now but honestly, it’s the best decision they could have made. The place we’re going to is pretty good; there are others of your kind there. You’ll learn how to defend yourself and when you can do that, well, maybe things will be safer for you. It’s not forever.”
I slumped against the door frame, the box in both my hands, and sighed. “You’ve no idea how difficult it is to be taken away from everything you know.”
“And was that everything so great? From the little Étoile told me, it didn’t sound like you were having such a great time.” Ouch. I wondered if
“Thank you,” I replied, surprised. A little flutter of pleasure hit my stomach as I tried to think what on earth he could have kept of my parents. “It was kind of you to keep these things for me.”
Steven nodded and his face creased into a smile. I couldn’t help thinking he suddenly looked much older than when I’d first met him in his bee-like finery. He looked over his shoulder quickly and turned back to me, leaning in, his voice etched with age. “Your parents were good friends of mine. Perhaps one day, when there’s more time, I’ll have the chance to tell you more about them. Keep the box safe.”
As he inclined his head in a rather formal little bow, I caught sight, over his shoulder, of Eleanor looking at our exchange curiously. She quickly turned away and said something to a guest who seemed to be sobbing into a handkerchief, her hand pausing on the woman’s arm.
“Good luck, Stella, until me meet again.” Steven said as he took my hand and kissed it and I rather expected him to click his heels.
“And you,” I said, my voice wobbling a bit. Steven nodded and traversed the hallway, tipping his head to Eleanor and closing the door behind him. From the living room, I heard the heated explosion of voices and Robert’s rising above them to the tune of Eleanor’s heels clicking across the lobby.
“I have to make some calls,” murmured Étoile, who had glided across to me as soon as Steven had taken his leave. Marc was right behind her as she continued, “To make sure they’re expecting us though I imagine Seren has already told them. My sister,” she added for my benefit when I frowned at the name.
“Stella, can you be ready for seven tomorrow morning?” asked Marc.
“Yes, of course.”
“I’ll take Stella to her room,” said Marc as Étoile set off along the hallway and was in her room in a flash, shutting the door before we had taken our first step along the same route.
“Where are we going?” I asked Marc when we reached the door to the guest bedroom serving as mine for this night. “Tomorrow, I mean.”
“We have lots of places around the country but I suspect that we’ll be going to a place we have along the coast. Like my dad said, it’s a safe house, of sorts. Our kind go there to practice, to be taught, to learn.” Marc thought for a moment as if he hadn’t quite made up his mind. “It’s a good place to be.”
“Do I get any say in this at all?” I meant to be a bit more polite, but the words came out in a hiss. I shouldn’t be angry at him, he had looked out for me all evening and I thought I saw a kindred spirit in him, despite the differences in our backgrounds. “This is my life and I got along fine until you all got involved in it.”
“And if the Brotherhood weren’t bent on killing us all, you’d probably still be fine,” replied Marc. “We can’t send you back out there to be picked off by one of them.”
“So, it’s a case of do what you say or die?”
“Not what I say,” Marc emphasised and I wondered if his was quite a lowly role. Certainly Étoile seemed to have been spoken to with more reverence than he, which struck me as odd since he was the prodigal son. “What the council says. Look, Stella, I know it might suck right now but honestly, it’s the best decision they could have made. The place we’re going to is pretty good; there are others of your kind there. You’ll learn how to defend yourself and when you can do that, well, maybe things will be safer for you. It’s not forever.”
I slumped against the door frame, the box in both my hands, and sighed. “You’ve no idea how difficult it is to be taken away from everything you know.”
“And was that everything so great? From the little Étoile told me, it didn’t sound like you were having such a great time.” Ouch. I wondered if
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